Volvo D4 with joystick

[frenzy]

Hi Everyone.
I am looking at a boat with twin Volvo D4 (300hp) with joystick control and I would appreciate any comments good or bad . i am going to get a survey done and I was wondering is there anything in particular I should look out for. The surveyor has mentioned getting the oil tested in the engines. Is this a good idea.?

any comments appreciated.

 

[Bandit]

I assume this is an outdrive boat, do you know what series of outdrive?
If you are looking for a boat like this, get an authorised Volvo Penta Dealer to do a full check over of the engines and drives out of the water and to undertake a seatrial to check out all the functions and to check it over with Vodia as well as a boat surveyor.

 

[frenzy]

Thanks for the reply
As far as I am aware it has the Dp sterndrives. Sea trial is organised. Should the outdrives be pressure tested rather than just tested with the dip stick.

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks for the reply
As far as I am aware it has the Dp sterndrives. Sea trial is organised. Should the outdrives be pressure tested rather than just tested with the dip stick.

Asking for a pressure test is not a bad idea. It should be done anyway after a (every 2 year) gaiter change if the split unit method is used.
Must admit though I test each year that the oil from the dip stick is not milky and that is good enough for me for that year.(plus gaiter change every 2 years of course)

 

[Bandit]

In my experience a boat surveyor knows very little about engines let alone modern electronic engines with joystick steering and other Gizmos. You need a VP engineer as well as the Surveyor to protect your position.

 

[Boat2016]

Asking for a pressure test is not a bad idea. It should be done anyway after a (every 2 year) gaiter change if the split unit method is used.
Must admit though I test each year that the oil from the dip stick is not milky and that is good enough for me for that year.(plus gaiter change every 2 years of course)

Would love to see how the “split unit method” is used on a DPH drive, not a method I’ve allowed on any drive as always insisted the drive is fully removed for proper inspection and bushes replaced.

 

[Portofino]

Would love to see how the “split unit method” is used on a DPH drive, not a method I’ve allowed on any drive as always insisted the drive is fully removed for proper inspection and bushes replaced.

My first mo bo was a DPG and I used a franchised dealer to do the services .Every two years they removed the drives for the bellows service say on a Monday afternoon during a week long lift out for the annual service .
Placed them in the engine shed with lots of others .Tuesday dismantle, yup all gutted and the shafts bearings etc layered out on a work bench .Micrometer measured , bits replaced and reassembled by the Wednesday.Pressure tested Wednesday night .Fitted back on the boat Thursday.Oh a pair of new bellows and fresh oil .That bit made up a tiny proportion of the final invoice .
If something significant was replaced then the engineers would go out for a quick blast round the bay at the lift in .
Once they returned ( my mate and myself left by the hoist ) and re lifted it stuck a very long screw driver up a hole in the drive adjusted some thing and in franglaise suggest we return in 3 days for another adjustment .We did they re lifted it and tweaked something and plonked it back in .No Idea what it was all about, the extra part was €80 per drive what ever it was they found ??
I never had a breakdown/ show stopper in the 800 hrs 9 yrs of ownership, but lost count of the thousands spent on routine stuff .

How ever I did see when in latter years when I started to do DIY annuals AF etc the boat next door a Cranchi with the same drives .A guy rocked up @ 9 am in a un sign written white van and wrestled off the old bellows with the drives in situ and forced on a new pair .No blue boxes in sight .About 2 hrs later drove off .
Mean while mine where all dismantled in the engine shed and I had two big holes in my transom.

Not being judgmental just observations.

 

[Rangerman]

Check the micky mouse plastic heat exchanger end caps for any sign of leaks, totally useless design

 

[Andy Bav]

Volvopaul and the local VP main Dealer on Mallorca surveyed my last two boats (one in the UK and one in Spain). Both identified issues. I proceeded with both purchases on the basis that I knew what to expect on the first, and budgeted accordingly, and the second has saved me a significant amount as I was able to claim under a warranty. Couldn’t recommend an engine survey enough.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

I had a Beneteau GT38 with twin D4s and joystick ... I didn't really care for the thing much, or the boat come to that. The engines above about 10 knots were extremely noisy with turbos and superchargers and given the design of the boat they turned it into a boombox! Two boats later I had a Beneteau Trawler with one Cummins and both bow and stern thrusters which I found a much better arrangement and a doddle to use right from the first time out. Don't suppose it matters if you have one engine or two but I wholeheartedly recommend both bow and stern thrusters for convenience!

 

[julians]

yes - I would avoid joysticks and just stick with a bow thruster (and a stern thruster if felt necessary) - joysticks are a complication too far IMO.

Having said that - I can see the attraction of joysticks for new boaters - but when you consider the complexity of the system required for joysticks and the costs of fixing it if it breaks - I think you need deep pockets.

 

[Portofino]

I had Lessons with my first mo bo a S/Skr Portofino 35 .Twin sterndrive + bow thruster.Tight med berth , tight Aisles as well .
Took approx 3 days to get it right .
A lot cheaper I guess going Fwds than buying electrotwackery and maintaining it and worse still ending up relying on it to park a boat .

How ever the “ because we can “ attitude and time short busy lives folks lead the manufacturers seeing a gap in the market naturally have filled it .The robotised self parking joy sticked boat .

You don’t need one imho .

 

[Portofino]

 

[frenzy]

Thanks for the reply’s. This is not my first boat. The one I just sold had twin outdrives and a bow thruster. Very easy to manoeuvre. It is the boat that is tempting me really and thus my questions on the Joystick. With regards to the Volvo D4 what is the general consensus. Good or bad ?

 

[julians]

I've got a 2007 vp d4 260 with the dph outdrive,ive owned it since 2013. Its been pretty reliable on the whole, requiring mainly just regular servicing, and the odd new part.

The main downside with vp stuff is the cost of replacement parts - if you need them.

The heat exchangers/coolers need cleaning every few years, otherwise the engine will overheat.

The early engines had a few issues with components that were rectified in later versions, and over the years ive been slowly switching over to the new versions of the components, things like the heat exchanger end caps, belt pulleys, raw water strainer, etc. So it's probably worth checking that your engine has had these updated parts or budget to get them updated over the next few years.

Its probably worth paying attention to the exhaust elbow, as if it's still on the original from 2008,it will probably need replacing soon. They tend to corrode.

Fuel economy is brilliant, and starts on the button, no smoke etc.

The outdrive has been OK, I snagged a rope in 2014 which bent the prop shaft and later resulted in a sheared prop shaft requiring a rebuild, but it's been fine since then. The early steering rams used to fail regularly, but the updated versions seem reliable so far. - 5 years and counting on the latest version.

 

[DavidJ]

Tappets adjustment is specified as every 200 hrs and is critical. Check the records
Actually I’m thinking KAD44 but probably the same

 

[julians]

Tappets adjustment is specified as every 200 hrs and is critical. Check the records

Thats not correct, the d series engines do not have tappets that need adjustment, I think you are thinking of earlier engines like the kad 42 etc.

 

[alt]

Tappets adjustment is specified as every 200 hrs and is critical. Check the records
Actually I’m thinking KAD44 but probably the same

People keep harping on about this and i've had the tappets checked 3 times, with my friend always saying "tiny adjustment, nothing worth talking about" (I'm happy to hand this task over to someone else). and i've never heard of someone causing damage from same. No doubt the likes of VP / spannerman etc. knows a few, though.

 

[frenzy]

Thanks again for the reply’s.

The boat is a 2012 model So hopefully some of the earlier issues will have been ironed out. The last boat I owned has the KAD 300 engines and I had some issues with the supercharger clutch’s and turbo’s, so I am happy to upgrade to a more modern engine.

 

[alt]

Thanks again for the reply’s.

The boat is a 2012 model So hopefully some of the earlier issues will have been ironed out. The last boat I owned has the KAD 300 engines and I had some issues with the supercharger clutch’s and turbo’s, so I am happy to upgrade to a more modern engine.

You may regret those words.

Supercharger clutch / turbo are basic mechanic items. Have fun calling a mechanic with a diagnostic (I say this as an IT guy as passion) before you can even diagnose a fault.

I love my kad300 (and lived my kad32, 43 etc)..
One of the main reasons I don't want a more modern engine